Warning! The anathema is here.

The doctrine that poisoned the souls of many, that wrought blood against blood, life against life. Aspasia has not been the same, nor will it ever be. As history fades into legend, and legend into myth, so too are the whispers of peace that had once brought each of the races together in harmony. As such a time faded into history, so does the chaos grow - the resentment that breeds loathing - that brings about war.

With the world pitted against each other, each race, equines, canines, and felines taking sides, the question is, which side will you choose?

Open Here We Are

The sun was setting, the waves lapping along the beach. It was spring. Life had turned full circle. Already she had been here a year. It seemed so much, yet so little had happened. Life was different, life was the same. Ever turning, yet not changing. It was a strange sensation, a sensation of nostalgia and hope, yet there were also thin tendrils of longing and despair. She had found Alahna, yet here she was, still longing for her mate. No, her life did not revolve around him, but for some reason the time here, in the mortal world increased her longing for him. She wanted him by her side. Experiencing the world, experiencing what it meant to be mortal. She knew at home, where they were both from he was safe. He was immortal as she, but still it was as if a void had opened in her heart. She was curious what romance was like as flesh and blood as a mortal. Perhaps their form was purer, but still she wondered.

As the moments passed, and as the salty spray from the waves settled upon her dished crown, she also remembered her friend, Thumbelina. Gone again. She always vanished. She cared for her, but sometimes she worried. She was too innocent, too pure for her own good. Aeo worried it put her in danger. As she herself was not from here, neither was her friend. But there was nothing that could be done. Perhaps she would show her face again, perhaps their friendship was meant to be a short one. Only time would tell.

Snorting, she moved forward, into the waves. Feeling their gentle lapping against her lower legs. She did not stand in deep water, she just let it lap against her feltlocks. Letting the sensation soothe her. Sometimes she wished things could be different, yet she knew she was here for a purpose whatever that purpose be.

Soft sand shifts beneath the hooves of the tall stallion. Golden hued body moves swiftly as colors burst and fade along the horizon. A gentle wind ruffles his mane and tail. Gulls circle and cry as they search for dinner. The waves push and pull against themselves as he travels. The man hears and feels all this but his mind is elsewhere. The sun is setting but his time here is just beginning. Having traveled such a long way to find his love, his heart, his Aeo, Jos finds the time fast approaching when they will reunite.

Heart flutters in his chest as Jostaki makes his way along the foreign beach. Aeoloni had come to this strange land some time past. Oh, how he has missed her. While time turns differently where he lives and to him she had been gone but a short time, it has felt like an eternity since he has last seen her. There had been things to distract him, the war always raged on, but still, the longing to see her face again, to hold her close, it was almost too much to bear.

That is all in the past now. Here he is, about to meet his beloved for the first time in, what seems like, a absurdly long time. Thoughts rush through his head and jumble together. What should he say? What should he do? Legs slow as he questions begin to plague his mind.

With a flick of his horned head the man tries to dispel the nagging feelings. All will be alright. He knows it in his soul, but his head is another matter. Halting his forward momentum, the blue and gold stallion allows himself to let the thoughts wash over him. For every anxious, fear filled thought that enters his awareness, he replaces it with a picture of Aeoloni’s face. Anxiety is replaced with peace.

A smile alights itself on his lips and the happy equine continues his journey. As the light fades and the air cools, Jos spots a figure in the distance. Pace quickens along with the rhythm of his heart. It is her, he knows it in heart. The purple and white hues only serve to confirm this.

Letting out a nicker, the stallion breaks into a gallop. As the last light of day slips behind the horizon and the stars begin to dance across the sky, Jostaki pulls to stop a few feet from the woman of his dreams.

Eyes look over her, retracing every line, every curve he has missed. Without another moment of hesitation, he moves in, head reaching out, aiming to touch the soft skin of her neck in a gentle embrace.

Words fail him as the emotions that he has held back break the dam and threaten to overwhelm him. The words that tumble from his mouth are laced with happiness and joy. Just above a whisper he says, “My love, my light. I have finally found you.” Eyes close as tears spring forth. They are together at last.

She did not know how long she stood there, her breaths calm and slow. She gazed out over the expanse as the sun slowly set into the indigo waves stained crimson and orange. Alahna sat quietly on her back. Also in contemplation. If not for the movement of Aeoloni's mane and tail in the faint breeze, the pair may as well have been statues. Captured in a moment of time, ancient, bearing the weight of time, yet still elegant and strong.

As she contemplated her purpose. Wondering again and again, why she was here, and what was to become of her life, a nicker made it's way over the gentle lapping of the waves. It took a moment for the sound to register, a faint flickering of her ear. But then recognition slowly dawned in her mind. First she thought it had to be a dream, but the faint breeze, the scents of the ocean reminded her that no, this was reality, and that she was awake.

Turning quickly, the splashes from the water dappling her ivory hide a darker gray, she watched him. Watched as the stallion made his way towards her. His lithe yet muscular frame, carrying him swiftly and smoothly towards her. She stood there in shock. Seeing, but not quite believing. Afraid to blink as if it would cause the moment to disappear, cause her eyes to open to a woken world where this moment was only the flickering of a sleeping imagination.

Finally, he stopped but feet from her. Speaking in deep yet melodic tones. Finally it was as if her trance was broken. Blinking her azure orbs, she trembled. Not a word, not a sound had been uttered in the passing moments, but everything else had been forgotten. The world around her faded to nothing. The world was nothing but the horse in front of her. Only he could do this to her. It was as if her rapidly beating heart had stopped dead, yet she could still feel it pounding in her chest. Her breath, quickened, and a single tear came to her eyes. All these months of wandering, of waiting, of trying to find her purpose here in the mortal realm dwindled to nothing, yet still she was full of disbelief.

"Jostaki?" She said the single word, his name with all the weight within her. The passion, the questioning, the longing, the sadness, the pain, the joy. All of it there. In a single word. A single question. "Jostaki? Is that really you?" Stepping forward, she moved towards him. Everything in her shouting to touch him. To know it was real. To enter the touch of his embrace. No, she did not need him. Not in a physical sense. But she loved him. With everything in her, and the longing was just too real. He loved her too, and as she reached for him, she lent him some of her own strength, just as she sought his, and she reached for an embrace.

Since his creation, since his first breath, Jostaki has been a warrior. His existence has revolved around battles, strategies and executions of orders. The stallion had not been sad but he was not particularly happy either. In his soul he had felt like something was missing, another piece of him that he had yet to find.

That was when she had walked into his life. Aeoloni was perfection in equine form. From her silver pelt to her violet dipped legs and ears, the man saw a masterpiece every time he looked upon her. Their creator’s most beautiful work had taken on the visage of this woman. The best part? It was like she had been created just for him.

Each time they met and talked the feeling only intensified. Jos knew without a doubt she was his mate and it thrilled and terrified him all at the same time. The delight came from the fact that someone so flawless, so completely pure and bright was to be his bond for time and all eternity. Yet, the fright came from his own insecurity and doubt. Would he make a good mate? Would he be all to her that she was to him? Only time was to tell.

Millennia passed and wars and rumors of contentions came and went. The duo’s bond only grew stronger in the stallion’s eyes. With each moment that elapsed Jos found his love for the mare only growing more durable. Just when he thought he could not love the purple tipped woman any more, she would do something that showed him just how wrong he was. She was gentle yet fierce. Kind yet strong.

Jostaki never stopped learning when the pair were together. Aeo taught him to be kind and gentle. The warrior part was tempered with compassion and Jos learned to expand his mind along with skills. They sparred, not just with weapons, but with logic and words. One would present a problem, be it an unwinnable situation or a problem were mercy or unforgiving punishment was due, and the couple would explain, in great detail, their plan and reasoning behind their motives.

His mind grew sharp and he found that their sessions lead him to become a better leader. The gold and blue equine spent as much time with Aeoloni as he could. So much so that when she was taken from him by the enemy he felt as if someone had hallowed him out.

Efforts were made to find her and every time he closed his eyes her beautiful smile haunted him. He threw himself into battle, taking his anger and hurt out on those who had taken his beloved. When Jos had finally found her, it had taken time for her to return to herself. The stallion had not given up on her.

Watching over and protecting her became his life and when she was once again health enough to resume her normal activity he became her shadow. Fear had planted roots in his mind that he might lose her again.

His fears were confirmed when one day she disappeared from the battle field. His apprehension turned to reality when the man was told that Aeo had been chosen to go on a mission, one that he could not accompany her on.

Time turns differently where Jostaki and Aeoloni are from, what is year in Aspasia passes in the blink of an eye to Jos. However, this did not temper the pain and sadness that took to hounding his every step. The years felt like an eternity.

When the news finally arrived that he would be allowed to follow her, the stallion could not have been more elated.

That is why, here, now with his other half standing but a few feet from him, Jos allows himself to revel in the moment. When she reaches out to embrace him, he does not hesitate, he hugs her.

Gently he holds her, her strength seeping into him. Jos has never deluded himself, while he was a warrior, Aeo was the stronger one. Her internal strength far exceeded that of any normal person.

Tears leak out the corners of his eyes and he closes them, wanting to pause this moment forever. Only when he knows that she will not slip away, that she in fact real and not some figment of his imagination, does Jostaki pull away. Eyes open to scan her, making sure that she is unharmed. The stallion lets out a soft chuckle and says, “Yes my love, it really is me.” A smile flits across his lips before he continues, “I have missed you. Are you alright? How have you been fairing?” Tears prick his eyes again as he finishes with, “Oh god how I missed you.” The words are choked with emotion. Each one filled with the agony her absence had brought. But there is more. Behind the agony is hope burning bright.

They are together once more and, if he has anything to say about it, they will never be apart again.

As he wraps his head around her, his soft skin brushing against hers, she falls into his embrace. She feels the strength of his muscles, countered with the gentleness of his actions. To her, it is comfort, it is strength. In a way he is her stronghold, he gives her a safe place to hide on a hard day, a refuge to run to when the world is collapsing around her. True, she is strong on her own, but she values his stoicism, his quiet fortitude, the sturdiness and groundedness. Together they are stronger than they would be alone, and she treasures him with her entire heart.

Though time turns differently here, and indeed she has been without him for much longer, sometimes it felt as if the month had been eons of time. She would never forget his face, the way he felt when he was holding her, the moments they cherished together, but sometimes, it seemed like it had been forever and a day. The hours prolonging indefinitely until it would drive into her like a thorn under her skin, a screw seeking to drive itself slowly into her heart. She could survive without him, but the question was, how long did she want to? How long did she want to do so. She knew that he would likely feel the same. That was why he was here.

As she stood there, her pale ivory neck pressed up against his golden and white one, her violet tipped wings folded against her side, Alahna sitting quietly between her shoulder blades, tears began leaking from her azure eyes, creating tracks down the stallion's sleek coat.

The embrace seemed to last a lifetime, wiping away the sorrow that their separation had forced upon them. Though their time apart had made her grow stronger, had taught her lessons, even tough ones, about the mortal world, this moment, this moment that seemed to be forever, took away all the pain, erased the years that had kept them apart. Even as he pulled away from her embrace, the tears of love, of joy, of happiness, still leaking from her sparkling pools, she felt the comfort that his presence brought her.

As he looked at her, she lifted her own gaze to his, looking into his eyes, deep as the ocean, brilliant as the sky. Like her own, they bled with tears. A moment she felt would bring them closer together than their lifetimes in their homeland ever would.

Choking through the tears, she swallowed, fearing that the sobs would come uncontrollably if she spoke again too soon. Finally after a moment, her voice came, softly, trembling softly, but without choking. "My Heart." Though she heard his question, she could not answer. Not yet. Not quite now. Taking a couple steps forward she leaned into him again, hoping for another embrace. Something about his presence, his touch, brought him something she had been missing desperately, something she had not known she had needed so bad until now.

"I... I missed you too. More than you know." With that brought a fresh slew of tears, but those finally subsided, and her soul felt quiet. She felt as if she could speak once more. Giving a faint laugh, not of sadness, but of joy, she spoke again, her voice stronger this time. "I have been good. Mortal life can be very confusing sometimes." With that, with her bonded here, lending her his love and strength, her tears turned into laughter, thinking of all the strange things she had encountered here and elsewhere. Finally, when her laughter faded, she looked at him, concern brimming in her eyes for her mate. "And how have you been faring?"

This is where he is meant to be. Every moment pushing him forward, until now, until it has brought Jostaki to this point. To her. Aeoloni. Perfection in equine form. Beautiful. Graceful. Deadly. What a thrilling combination. There is no other like her in all of creation.

And he loves that.

They are bound together. For this silver pelted mare in front of him holds his fate in her hands. He knows that no matter where she goes, he will be but a beat behind her. Their future is entwined, each thread wound tight around the other.

He would have it no other way.

Cerulean eyes search the depths of Aeo’s sky blue orbs. They still hold all the warmth and love that he remembers. Wisdom, kindness and strength stare into the depths of his very soul. The golden hued stallion has always been an open book to this beautiful woman and here, now, he feels all his walls crumbling. He is laid bare in front of Aeoloni, his every emotion hers to see.

Not one to readily allow others the opportunity to see his feelings, Jos feels no shame in showing them to his other half. If anyone can understand and forgive any weakness he has, it is Aeo.

Soft smile spreads as he listens to her voice. The sweet tones, trembling softly, are music to his ears. Heart thrills to be called ‘My Heart’. Tears leak slowly from his eyes, running down his gold cheeks. When she steps forward and leans into him again Jostaki gladly returns the embrace.

Her soft ivory neck presses into his cream and gold one and he holds her, strong frame quaking as they embrace. This almost seems too good be true. Heart reverberates off his ribs, pounding hard in his ears. She is real. He is actually here.

When she voices how much she missed him the tears fall unhindered now. Oh, he knows how she missed him. For each moment that passed away from her was pain. Each second of loneliness drilled another nail into his heart. It might have been but a few short years but it was torture to him. He lived, he fought but after a while it felt as if he was hollow inside.

But all that is behind him now. Pain replaced by feeling complete. Loneliness transformed into joy.

When Aeo starts laughing for the pleasure of the experience, the tall man finds himself echoing the sound. Such happiness, such pure ecstasy is each moment that they are together.

Only when the purple dipped woman steps back to look at him, does the man find himself bowing his head a bit under her gaze. Is it shame that fills his breast and makes his head lower?

But why?

Then she asks the question he has been dreading. How has he been fairing? That is where the root of his embarrassment stems from. Head dips slightly lower and he begins, “I have fared well.”

Huffing a sigh of frustration at himself, he corrects, “Actually, in all honesty, I have had a terrible time. I threw myself into the war, fighting harder than ever and it did nothing to ease the pain of being separated from you. It seemed like I would be alone forever, that we would never be able to lay eyes on each other again and I… started to doubt.”

There it was. His ultimate dishonor.

For one who’s life was dedicated to the creator and the ultimate plan, faith was his most crucial weapon. There is no room for reservations or hesitation. He does not avert his eyes, trying instead to hold his gaze level, Jostaki continues, “I am sorry but it is true. I do remember the teachings, that doubt kills slowly the faith of the strong. But in those long, lonely days I allowed it to creep in.”

Eyes find her face and he raises his head, no longer ashamed. He had admitted his shortcoming and had not been struck dead. The stallion knew that he was going to survive. With a smile he says, “But we are together again and that is all that matters.”

As his eyes roam from her head over her body they spy a little dragon perched between the blades of Aeo’s shoulders. Tilting his head slightly, smile spreading Jos offers a small “Hello” to the purple companion. Gaze turns back to Aeo as he inquires, “Who is your friend?”